Internal-combustion engine.



INVENTOR G. ENRICO.

Y INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION F|LED NOV- 27,1906- 1 LIBIAGQ. Patented Nov. 23

GiOVANNI trustee, or Team, rrALY,

Assmnoin BY MESNE ass]:cavivmirrs, TO

.. r. I. A. r, or POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YonK, A CORPORATION or new YORK.

m'rnanan-connusrxon ENGINE.

' menace.

. To-all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GIOVANNI- ENRICO, engimaer, of Corso Dante, Turin Italy, have invented. certain new and usei uliImgmes, fa;nd exact specification. v

Internal combustion englnes are not, as

of which the follow a'rule, provided-with devices for reversing and-the" engine stops. Therefore, as interna .,-,cornbust-ionf engines require to be fspe-r" tally" started, it is impossible to pass diwrtage'gn engines used for automobiles, boats, and the like. i Y g This --i'nvention has for its obgect' to provide an arrangement whereby internal com- 'flgg specially started as hitherto. I In" the accompanying drawings Figure. 1-

I is ageneralcview o'f an internal-combustion engine provided with an arrangement in accordance, with pthisinvention. Flgs. 2 and 3 represent, vrespectively, a section and a plan of a 'det-ailQand .Fig. 4 shows asection ofthe to Fig 2 Theengine is presumed to have four cylsame detail with its: adjuncts at right angle 4 gg inders, althoughn to simplify the drawing,

the right hand cylinders have been omitted.

The invention can howeverbe applied to engines with other numbers of cylinders.

The exhaust valves a" and a3 are operated in by cams c. cf 'mounted on the slfitt b. driven by. the engine through the gear Wheel cl.

- vThe shaft 5 carrying the cams canbe slid longitudinally in its hearing by means of ..---.Ya n operating lever f--actuated from out? :46 s1de' eitl1e1' by hand,v or foot- Each, cam is provided w thtwoinclined parts 0 and e,

c? and a running in opposite directions and- :onnected by a suitable curve. The cams cfc actagainst the stems of the exhaust 5O va-lvesau and by shifting the shaft 6 by means of a lever 7, either the inclined parts 7c and c? or theinclined parts c and e are brought under the valve stems and the direction of rotation of the engine can thus be 'prove nents in Internal- Combustion En ing'is a full, c lcar,

rectly from forward running to. backward f running, and this is a'very' serious disadvan- In the middlerof the shaft 1) is mounted a helical wheel 7 gearing with .a helical wheel h mounted on a shaft 39 carrying-a distributing valve 9 in a chamber i connect ed by a tube a to a pipe-leading from a supplyof compressed air not shown.

he valve .g forms a close joint with, and can turn on, the bottom of the chamber 71;

Specification of Letters Patent. Pail ignted N V, 23, 191l 5 Application nia November 27, 1906. Serial naaaasco.

- the said bottom being provided with fourholes 1, 2, 3, 4, communicating respectively with the tubes j, ,7' j j supplying the compressed air to the respective cylinders.

Check valves, three, marked v, '0 0 only are shown-''ar'e attached to the cylinders in the vicinity of the exhaust valves. The valve g is of circular disk shape and is pro-' rotation of the said valve, the said opening uncovers the holes 1, 2, 3, 4, successively and thereby establishes communication between the distributing chamber i, through' one,

-vided with an opening 1' so that,.during the .or other, of the pipes j, 9' 7' j*-and the cyl-J inder corresponding to the uncovered hole. The dimension/of the hole 7- is such that each hole 1, 2, 3, 4, is uncovered only during the Workingstrolte' of the cylinder corresponding to each hole and thus, the chamber 11 being in communication by the tube 01 with the compressed air pipe,theengine can be started by the action of the compressed air which is distributed successively to the cylinders during their working phases. If the combustion of the gases in the cylinders takes place at the same time asthe supply of compressed air, and a pressure higher than that of the air results-therefrom, the checkyalVeso, &c. come-into action and interrupt the admission of compressed air so that the engine then runs normally. When the rotation of the engine is reversed,- the position of the opening 1 must be modified, because, if a piston is moving on its suction or working stroke and engine be reversed, the said piston must then effect the opposite phases, namely compression or exhaust' Consequently, when the engine is reversed, the opening 1' must leave that one of the holes 1; 2, 3, 4, which it is then opposite and come over the hole which corresponds to the opposite phase. This re- .sultis obtained by suitable selection of the diameters of the Wheels 9 and h and of the pitch of their teeth, so that the sliding of the wheel 9 on the Wheel h, which takes place when the shaft 6 is longitudinally it is started by opening'the communication between the pipe at and the compressed air supply. llhe engine starts under theaction of the compressed air which mixes ,W1th the gases contained in the cylinders." After a few turns, or fractions ofa turn, the engine is in motion and the igmting device is set to work and the engine worksgin the usual manner and the communication between the tube 72- and the compressed air can be out oii'v When the engine is reversed, this communication can be lie-opened so that, at the moment the engine passes the zero of speed compressed a1I"-,COII16S into action and causes the engine to run backward. As the valve q only doesuseful work during the starting periods, it is advisable to use some arrangement that keeps it off its seat during the normal running of the engine so as to'avoid useless wear of the said valve and its seat.

This can be efi'ected for instance by a spring s acting on the stem Z of the valve 9, soas to tend to keep the, said valve a little distance from its seat. The amount of this lift v is regulated by the sleeve u keyed on the stem Z, and in which the shaft p can slide, striking, at the end of the lift, against the 1 projection from the plate .2. By suitably adjustingthe spring 8,, the compressed air introduced by the pipe n into'the chamber a causes the valve 9 to descend onto its seat against the action of the spring 8, while, as soon as the supply of compressed air is interrupted, the spring 8' lifts the valve g from its seat. The inlet valves of the engin ewhich are not shown in the drawingsare operated by a cam-shaft similar to the shaft 6 and capableof sliding lengthwise, but not provided with connections with ,the compressed air distribution.

Having now particularly describedv and ascertained the nature of my said inventionand in what mannerthe sameis tobe performed I declare that what I claim is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, a

: pluralityjo'f cylinders, Valve mechanism for admitting compressed gas to a plurality of said cyl nders at vpredetermined intervals timed With relation to v,the piston stroke,

l means for operating said valve mechanism,

I and means for shifting said valve operating. means a predetermined angular amountto admit compressed air to reverse the engine,

said mechanism comprising a longitudinally. I movable worm meshing with a rotatable worm fixed againstv longitudinal movement,

said rotatable worm beingconnectedto shift the valve,

2. In an internal combustion engine, a

plurality of cylinders, a rotary valve for distributing compressed fluid thereto at Intervals timed with relation to the strokes of the pistons, and means for shifting such valve forwardly or backwardly independently of its normal rotative'movement when the running direction of the engine 1s reversed.

3. In an internal combustion engine, a distributing device adapted to supply a compressed fiuid to the cylinder at lntervals timed with relation to'the stroke of the engine, said device including a'rotating valve, and means for shifting the position of such valve independently of its normal rotative movement to reverse the englne.

4. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a plurality of cylinders, of a cam shaft carrying double cams, each cam adapted to operate a valve in each cylinder means for shifting said cams to change the time of opening of said valves, means adapted to supply compressed air to the cylinders, and a connection comprislng a pair of meshing Worms, one belng longltudmally shiftable relatively to the other and con trolling the air valve for controlling said compressed air supply. s

.5. In a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine, the'combination'with valve mechanism for controlling a compressed air supply to a plurality of cylinders timed with the piston strokes of said cylinders, ofja cam operated valve for said cylinders, a double cam for each valvefland means for angularly shifting said cams and operating said air controlling valve mechanism, comprising a longitudinally movable shaft carrying said cams and a worm, and a second worm meshing therewith for controlling the air supply and rotated by said longitudinal movement. 1

.6. In an internal combustion engine, a camshaft lfaving cams 'adapted'to operate the valves of a plurality of cylinders either during forward orreverse running of the engine, means for moving said cams axially to reverse the engine, a rotary distributing v denice for a compressed fluid connected-with the cylinders, and adapted to supply compressed fluid thereto in predetermined order, andconnections between said cam shaft and said distributing device adapted to alter the versing mechanism including a distributing device adapted to supply a compressed fluid, to the cylinder at intervals timed with re- I lation to the stroke of the engine, means for changing the operation of such device to reverse the eng1ne,-and means for operating the exhaust valves during the reverse running of the engine, said means being"c0n-.

nected with the means for changing the op memes eration ofthe distributor so that they operate together, said connections comprising Worm wheels, one of which is adapted to be moved non-rotatively to shift the other.

8. In an internal combustion engine, areversing mechanism including a distributing device adapted to supply a compressed fluid to the engine at intervals, such distributing device including a rotating valve adapted to cover and uncover ports leading to the cylinder, and means for holding said valve unseated during normal running of the engine.

I 9. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a plurality of cylinders, eX-- haust valves therefor, means for operating said exhaust 'alvcs, means for reversing the operation of said exhaust valves, a distributing device for compressed air comprising a rotary valve having ports leading to the several cylinders, check valves adapted to prevent return flow through said ports, a worm wheel for operating said rotary valve, and a worm connectedwith the valve operating mechanism for rotating said worm wheel.

10. The combination in a combustion en gine with a rotary shaft, and a valve operated thereby, of a worm for rotating said shaft, a second shaft carrying a worm meshing with said first shaft, cams on said latter ,shaft having a plurality of separated operating surfaces, valves operated by said cams, and means for longitudinally moving said second shaft, cams and Worm carried thereby to displace said cams relatively to the valves operated, and to rotate said first named shaft.

11. The combination With a combustion engine having a piston and mechanically operated inlet and exhaust valves of means for longitudinally shifting the operating cams of said alves to reverse the engine, a source of compressed gas, a distributing valve controlling said compressed gas supply, and means for operating said distributing valve to admit air to the cylinders simultaneously with the shifting of said cams.

'12. An auxiliary fluid pressure starting device for a multi-cylinder engine consisting of a traveling valve adapted successively to open ports communicating with the cylinders, the opening of the ports following the normal firing sequence; and means for shifting said valve to close the port which stands open, and to open a port communicating with a different cylinder whereby the engine can be started in the reverse direction.

13. An auxiliary fluid pressure starting device for a six cylinder engine consisting of a traveling valve adapted successively to open ports communicating with the cylinders, the opening of the ports following the new normal firing sequence, and the traveling valve being arranged to keep each port open during substantially the entire normal working stroke of each piston; and means for shifting said valve to close the open port and open a port communicating with a cylinder in which the piston is on its compression stroke.

14. In a fluid pressure starting device for an internal combustion engine, the combinaan inlet port; of a traveling member for successively opening said ports during the normal working stroke of the piston in each cylinder; and means for changing the relation of said traveling member to the cylinder inlet ports to reverse the engine.

16. In an internal combustion engine, a

. plurality of cylinders, a rotary valve for distributing compressed fluid thereto at intervals timed with relation to the strokes of the pistons, and a check valve in each of said starting passages and opening toward the cylinder, for closing said passages upon increase of cylinder pressure, and means for shifting such valve forwardly and backwardly independently of its normal rotative movement when the running direction of the engine is reversed.

17. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of cylinders having means for admitting and exhausting gases, during the normal operation of the engine, a separate inlet passage to each cylinder having a connection with a source of starting fluid, said passages being connected to a common valve chamber, and a rotary valve driven in synchronisin with the Working pistons for distributing starting fluid to said cylinders at intervals timed with relation to the strokes of the pistons said rotary distributing valve being normally unseated to relieve the friction, but being seated to control said passages upon admission of the fluid pressure to said valve chamber.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

GIQVANNI ENRICO. l/Vit'nesses JOHN BAZATTI, FnnRARIs GIOVANNI.

tlopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

